


Trust In Me

by AWitchWrites



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWitchWrites/pseuds/AWitchWrites
Summary: In which Arthur finally believes Merlin when he says one of their guests is up to no good and accidentally discovers his magic along the way.
Relationships: (hinted at) - Relationship, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 236
Collections: Fandom For Australia





	Trust In Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pt_tucker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pt_tucker/gifts).



> Written for pt_tucker for the Fandom for Australia fundraising auction; thank you and I'm sorry this took so long lol but I hope you like it! :D

Thunder roared in the air and lightning split the sky as rain poured down over Camelot, almost flooding the cobblestones of the courtyard. At the top of the steps that lead to the castle, just inside the large open doors, stood King Uther and his son Prince Arthur; behind them, a small welcoming party of Knights and Councilmen. It was muted considering who their guests were but it was the most they could offer under the current weather conditions. 

A strong gust of wind, almost enough to shut the heavy castle doors, blew through the doorway, making all those in its path shiver. King and Prince kept their eyes on the darkening courtyard below; none would think that it was only noon, the clouds above were dark enough that it felt like twilight already. 

Arthur shifted on his feet, earning a dark, warning, glare from his father beside him. 

“Stand up straight. And stop fidgeting.” Uther hissed under his breath. 

“Shouldn’t they have arrived by now, Father?” 

“Have some patience, Arthur.” Uther admonished, looking over at him. “King Aleyn is a dear friend and ally. He and his family deserve your respect and as such, you _will_ be here to greet them, is that understood? Now, for goodness sake, stand up straight.” 

It was a lecture Arthur had heard multiple times over the few days preceding their arrival and one he was quite sick of hearing. It wasn’t that he had anything against King Aleyn and his family, in fact Arthur had always quite liked them; it was just that he had met them before and felt no need to be introduced to them again when he could be warm inside his chambers, perhaps with a hot bath and a cup or two of wine. Still, he fixed his posture without even a sigh, not wanting to ire his father further, inwardly counting down the seconds until their arrival. 

X x X 

Merlin flexed his toes inside his shoes, just to check they were still attached to his body and hadn’t frozen and fallen off without his knowledge. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, he thought, for they had long since gone numb, thanks to his lack of good socks, the hole beginning to wear in on the left foot of his boot and, oh yes, the bone-chilling cold winds blowing in from the wide open doors he was stood right in front of. At least if his toes were to get frostbitten and fall off, they would be somewhat safely hidden inside his shoes, flimsy though they were: his fingers were another matter entirely and Merlin had taken to keeping his hands clenched in tight fists behind his back just for some, perhaps imaginary, semblance of warmth. The last time he had tried to sneakily blow on them to warm them, Arthur had glared at him; a look that strongly suggested that if he did what he was about to do, Arthur would have him mucking the stables, or worse in the stocks, for the remainder of the day. 

That had been at least two hours ago and it seemed even Arthur’s patience was wearing thin. He almost laughed to himself watching Arthur get scolded like a little child; it had almost been worth all this waiting around, he thought. No, who was he kidding, it wasn’t worth even that. He rocked lightly on the balls of his feet to try and relieve some of the aching in his legs, thinking of all the ways he could get Arthur back for forcing him to join this welcoming party: after all, he could have been safely hidden away in Arthur’s chambers, pretending to work and sneaking a cup or two of wine. 

Mercifully, a group of carriages drove into the courtyard not long later, led by the Royal carriage. They sent sprays of water up either side as they drove through the large puddles and came to a stop closer to the castle steps than they usually would. It was likely to make little difference in keeping the travellers inside dry, a large pool had collected beneath each carriage as they stopped and the steps themselves were littered with puddles. Merlin watched as out from the carriage stepped King Aleyn, his wife Queen Laudine, their son Prince Bodwyn and an unknown man. He frowned, confused; he hadn’t remembered Arthur telling him about an extra guest, and despite what many people thought, Merlin did actually pay attention when Arthur told him things. Most of the time. 

“Aleyn!” Uther greeted with a wide grin, ushering them up the steps of the castle and into the relative warmth and dryness. “Come, come, old friend. How good it is to see you again!” It was unusual to see their King in such high spirits to say the least but it was not an enthusiasm that everyone seemed to share, not even King Aleyn and his family, who gave strained if not somewhat forced smiles as they entered Camelot, their party of servants and Knights waiting behind them. 

“It’s been some time but you remember my son, Prince Arthur.” Uther gripped Arthur’s shoulder, the pride in his voice a marked difference from the cold and stern tone from moments before. Merlin watched as Arthur gave a forced smile of his own; Arthur hated these moments, much more comfortable on the battlefield or training grounds than he was in court. Merlin couldn’t really blame him, no matter how much Merlin hated being used as a training dummy or having to accompany Arthur on his many, _many_ hunts even he could admit that matters of the court were mind numbingly boring. Once you’d met one noble or royal family, Merlin had found, you’d pretty much met them all.

X x X

He almost stumbled under the weight of all that he was carrying, managing to right himself just in time as he trudged after Arthur and their guests, muttering under his breath all the while. He glared at the back of Arthur’s head as he trudged along behind them; that rat bastard had expressly told him that there would be no need for him to serve their guests since they had brought along a few of their own servants, although Arthur had worded it in his usual prattish way, with a backhanded insult and an implication that Merlin often shirked his duties to spend all his time in the tavern. 

“They’re bringing their own servants with them, Merlin.” Merlin muttered, repeating Arthur’s words back to himself under his breath, “There’s no need for me to unleash _you_ upon them...Liar.” And now, here he was, following behind as Arthur showed the royal guests to their chambers, desperately trying not to drop their luggage he had been charged with bringing to their rooms. 

As if somehow sensing the level of Merlin’s glare levelled at the back of his head, Arthur turned, giving Merlin the same playfully smug look he usually gave when he thought he’d gotten one up on Merlin. He glanced at their guests, trying to gauge whether or not he could get away with complaining about it now; Arthur had been regaling him with tales of all the previous times they had visited Camelot and Merlin had to admit, they sounded a lot less stuck up than all the other Royals he had met. Looking at them now, however, he would never have believed Arthur’s stories about them; Duke Griffyth had a face like thunder and looked down at everything like it was dirt on his shoe, the rest were following along behind like sheep, their faces perfectly blank and completely unreadable. He’d met enough nobles to know that was not a sign of a good mood and so kept his mouth shut. 

Well, Merlin thought, two could play at that game; he shook his head, plotting all the ways he could get Arthur back later. It was strange though, watching as Arthur led them towards the Royal Guest chambers, that their expressions were so completely blank, let alone that the Duke would walk before the King. He shrugged it off though, it was none of his business after all and they had just made a rather long journey during stormy weather so, he reasoned, it was perfectly understandable that they might be tired and not themselves. He focused instead, on making sure that he got their trunks to their chambers in one piece, without dropping anything and making a fool of himself, or throwing his back out. 

X x X

There was to be a feast, later that night, in their guests’ honour. There was always a bloody feast. Merlin didn’t always mind, but after spending hours stood beside Arthur waiting for their guests, then lugging their trunks up to their rooms the last thing he wanted to be doing that night was standing around at a feast for hours on end. 

“I don’t think the King is particularly concerned with what you want to be doing, _Mer_ lin.” Arthur said as he shrugged on his best jacket, readying for said feast. 

Understatement of the bloody century; Merlin rolled his eyes, their esteemed King didn’t seem to care one whit what anyone else wanted, he thought bitterly. He could never say that though, and _especially_ not to Arthur, so he let his face morph into it’s usual mix of earnestness and idiocy, with a tiny hint of sarcasm as he brushed down the back of Arthur’s jacket and looked back up at him. 

“But I’m not just thinking of me.” 

Arthur just looked back at him, a brow raised (though not quite as powerful as Gaius’, it clearly indicated Arthur didn’t believe him one bit). “Oh? And who else could you be thinking about, Merlin?” 

“What about our guests?” Merlin asked, a clear ‘ _ha-bet-you-didn’t-think-of-that’_ clear as he continued, “They’ve been traveling days in this weather, surely they’ll just want to rest instead of-” 

“Instead of have a warm, hearty meal, and plenty of entertainment at a feast held in their honour? Really, Merlin, you do come out with the most ridiculous nonsense sometimes.” Arthur shook his head, ruffling Merlin’s hair in that annoying way he did when he knew he’d won an argument and headed for the door. “If you really don’t want to serve at the banquet though, you could have a night off….” 

Against his better judgement, Merlin perked up, grinning over at him for a second before his hopes were dashed and Arthur turned, smug grin back again, “...from pouring my wine and instead spend the night mucking out the stables.” 

Merlin glowered at him, shoulders slumping as he resigned himself to his fate and followed Arthur out of his chambers, “You really are a prat.” He mumbled, shaking his head. 

“What was that, Merlin?” 

“Nothing, sire.” 

X x X

The banquet was much like any other, nothing particularly special about it. Merlin spent most of the time just off to the side so that he was both out of sight but close enough that he was always available to serve Arthur his food and refill his wine whenever he was needed. It was just like any other night serving at a banquet but Merlin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was _off._ He didn’t know why, but the feeling just wouldn’t go away. He tried listening in to the conversations at the main table a little more, thinking that perhaps he had overheard something that had made him suspicious without realising it. Even as he thought it, Merlin knew that was unlikely, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how that might have happened but still, he tried actually paying attention to what was being said - but there was nothing. 

It took a few seconds for that to register; there was _nothing_. He watched as Arthur tried several times to engage Prince Bodwyn in conversation, each attempt falling flat as the other Prince gave either simple one word answers, or nothing at all. Though it was strange and quite rude, to be sure (from what he could tell from Arthur’s stories, the two Prince’s usually got along quite well) it wasn’t exactly suspicious; Bodwyn’s behaviour seemed to match his less than sociable attitude. The young man simply picked at his food, eating little, his movements sluggish and lethargic. It was not just Bodwyn, Merlin realised, as his gaze fell upon the King and Queen too. Both seemed the same; barely eating or talking, their movements habitual and impersonal. Uther, it seemed, hadn’t noticed anything wrong with his friend at all and instead had turned to converse with the Duke instead but Arthur - Merlin had caught him frowning multiple times over the course of the night as each attempt to catch up with his friend failed, before seeming to give up and focusing on his meal. 

While the behaviour of their guests had definitely raised Merlin’s suspicions, he had seen nothing yet to justify why exactly he felt something was wrong; the feeling was enough to make his skin crawl. Perhaps he just needed to talk to someone else about it. 

X x X

Gaius just looked at him over the edges of his glasses for a long minute, Eyebrow raised. 

“Well?” Merlin asked earnestly, leaning his elbows on their dinner table. 

“Merlin, are you quite sure you’re not simply being paranoid?” Which, really, was Gaius’ politest way of saying that he didn’t believe him, or thought his theory was rather outlandish. 

He sighed, pushing his food around his bowl as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, Gaius. I’ve had this... _feeling_ that something’s wrong ever since they got here.” 

“That may well be but, Merlin, you can’t go around accusing visiting royalty of God knows what based on just a feeling.” Gaius warned, narrowing his eyes a little as he watched Merlin mope over his dinner. 

“I _know_ that. I’m just saying...maybe I should investigate and see if I can find some evidence?” Merlin suggested, looking over at his guardian hopefully. 

“Evidence of what?” Gaius sat up straighter and set down the papers he had been perusing, having eaten his own dinner before Merlin arrived back from the banquet. “Merlin, you’ve no idea if anything even is wrong, yet. King Aleyn may not be as ruthless as some of the other royals but nevertheless, if you’re caught sneaking around in their rooms for no reason the consequences will still be dire.” 

Merlin’s face fell as he went back to his dinner. He knew that he had nothing yet to go on but that was precisely why he felt he needed to look. 

“If something is truly amiss, we must wait until we have firmer reasons to be suspicious.” Gaius continued. 

“Until after they attack Arthur and it’s almost too late, you mean.” He muttered bitterly.

“Merlin!” 

He glanced up, sullen mood quickly shifting to one of guilt as he saw the hurt look that Gaius quickly turned into a stern glare. That comment had been unfair and he knew it. “I’m sorry, Gaius.” On some level he knew that Gaius was right, that he was blowing this all out of proportion. 

“Promise me that you won’t go sneaking into their rooms, Merlin.” 

“I won’t.” 

“Promise me!” This time accompanied by the Eyebrow and a knowing stare until Merlin relented. 

“I promise, Gaius.” 

Gaius stared at him for a moment more, as if searching for any sign that Merlin was lying before he seemed satisfied and went back to his reading. “Good...now finish your dinner before it gets cold.” 

Glancing back down as his stew that had already gone mostly lukewarm and was looking less and less appetizing by the second, Merlin realised he had already lost most of his appetite but sighed and did as he was told. 

X x X 

Over the next few days, Merlin’s worry only increased and yet, still no concrete evidence for anything actually being amiss presented itself. Nothing except the intense feeling he got that something Was Not Right every time he found himself in the company of the visiting royals. 

Their strange behaviour continued. The longer it went on the more noticeable it became, especially when they spoke; always overly formal and stiff which in itself could easily have been explained by their titles but it was the utter lifelessness of it all, they drifted around the castle as if but puppets on a string. With one exception; Duke Griffyth. He was never seen without the royal family and when he was seen it was clear to all that the man did not appear well in the slightest. He was often, if not always, sweaty as if suffering from a fever that just would not pass; his skin was utterly devoid of colour, pasty and almost corpse-like. While his behaviour did not seem as lifeless as the rest of his families, he certainly looked the part. Though he seemed to possess more character than them, it was certainly not a pleasant one. Rumours had already begun to circulate among Camelot’s castle staff of how the Dukes' own servants were treated (stories of beatings and floggings at worst, swift and immediate dismissal at best over the smallest things) could be heard whenever one stepped into the castle kitchens. 

Merlin thought of nothing else over the next few days; rethinking and over-analysing the smallest of details to see if there was anything he was overlooking. Perhaps it was simply Lord Griffyth himself that had Merlin unsettled, he was no peach after all and the rumours alone were enough to have anyone that heard them disliking the man. But, no, Merlin wasn’t sure what it was but something in his gut was telling him there was more to it than that. 

He was lost in thought, puttering around Arthur’s chambers late one night as he readied the prince for bed. It had become so routine by now that most of these small chores he could do in his sleep, or with his mind completely occupied with something else, as it was then. 

“What is the matter with you?” Arthur asked suddenly, from where he sat on the edge of his bed, startling Merlin from his thoughts. As usual, Arthur’s question lacked any sort of tact, spat out bluntly and sounding semi-offended, like he couldn’t believe he even had to ask. 

Merlin frowned, looking up from what he had been doing, not entirely sure what he had done wrong. The last thing he wanted was Arthur finding out his suspicions; he had learnt his lesson from all those other times that these things were best handled by himself, in secret. 

“What?” He asked, trying to sound both confused and innocent. It usually worked. 

“Don’t give me that. What’s wrong with you?” Apparently, it had not worked this time. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” He shrugged, trying to evade the question as best he could. 

“You’ve had a face like a sore arse for days now-” Merlin’s mouth dropped open in shock and offense, not that Arthur seemed to notice as he continued, “and you’ve hardly spoken a word, not that I’m complaining about that, mind. But something’s clearly bothering you. So, tell me.” 

Merlin stood dumbstruck, a myriad of reactions passed through his head at once as he simply stood there, gaping at Arthur. He’d worked for Arthur for long enough now to know that for him to even notice or ask at all meant that he was genuinely concerned and both didn’t know how or want to show it. It was sort of flattering, in a way, that Arthur even cared to ask but that didn’t stop Merlin from being sorely tempted to tell him to mind his own business. Because he knew; past experience had taught him exactly how Arthur would react if he told him what had actually been bothering him for the past few days and that even though Arthur was concerned now, all that poorly concealed concern would disappear the moment he told him the truth. Arthur would be back to dismissing him and mocking him within seconds. At worst, he might even get quite angry at him. 

It had been bad enough that Gaius hadn’t believed him, Merlin didn’t want to be dealing with Arthur’s anger on top of that. And he knew Gaius would definitely disapprove of him telling Arthur. 

An impatient sigh from the bed startled him again and he realised he’d hesitated a moment too long. Though Arthur was giving him an impatient look and a gesture that clearly meant ‘well hurry up’, Merlin could see the worry he’d been trying to hide. What could it hurt, he thought, to tell Arthur. He doubted Arthur would believe him in any case and it would hardly be his first time in the stocks if Arthur didn’t react well. 

“It’s...I don’t know-” 

“You don’t know what’s bothering you?” Arthur interrupted with a roll of his eyes, seeming to relax, “Why does that not surprise me.” 

“No! I’m just not sure how to explain.” He shook his head. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to organise his thoughts before he started, “I don’t think you’re going to like what I’m going to say. In fact, I’m fairly certain you’re not going to like it but I’m going to say it anyway.” 

“Don’t you always?” Arthur muttered but Merlin ignored him, keeping his gaze on the pillows he held instead so he wouldn’t have to face Arthur’s reactions, whatever they might be. 

“It’s our guests, it’s always our guests.” The last part muttered under his breath with a shake of his head, but he quickly continued, “Something’s not right, with any of them... I know I don’t know any of them but they’re all acting really strangely and there’s something just _off_ about Lord Griffyth - and it’s not just the rumours about how he treats his staff although that alone - “ Merlin shuddered and, realising he was veering off topic, shook his head and continued, 

“I just think he’s up to something; against Camelot or his own family, I don’t know. And look, I know I’m just a servant and he’s technically a royal and I don't have any evidence - hell, I don’t even know what’s going on, not for certain. But you asked, so there it is.” 

Merlin shifted on his feet as he waited for Arthur’s response; his gaze kept firmly on the ground. Across from him, Arthur sighed and stood from the bed. He said nothing at first, just walked over to the side table where a pitcher of wine and some spare goblets were kept. It was only after he’d poured himself some wine that he finally spoke.

“I think you might be right.” 

The pillow in his hands went tumbling to the floor as Merlin gaped at him in shock as his words registered. “You- wha-?” He stuttered, an almost giddy relief overcoming him for just a moment before a creeping suspicion set in and slowly his eyes narrowed at an oblivious Arthur. “Wait a minute...are you having me on?” He asked.

“What?” Arthur spun around to look at him, staring at him as if he had lost his mind and genuinely seeming confused by the question. Which Merlin thought was extremely unfair; it was a perfectly valid question. “Why on Earth would I do that?” 

“Because!” Merlin gestured over to him as if it explained everything, “You never believe me!” 

“Well, usually that’s because you’re talking absolute rubbish that makes no sense, _Mer_ lin.” Arthur rolled his eyes. 

Merlin couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed in disbelief, “Oh? And I’m making sense now?” 

“It’s a great surprise to everyone, Merlin, but yes, you are.” 

This was it, Merlin decided, he had finally lost his mind. Either that or Arthur had lost his.He still wasn’t completely sure Arthur wasn’t having a great laugh at his expense, and as he debated over this to himself; arms still crossed tightly over his chest, brow furrowed and lips pursed, Arthur finally looked up at him from the wine he had been drinking and rolled his eyes. 

“For God’s sake, Merlin, I believe you!” Arthur insisted, “Prince Bodwyn and I might not be best friends but I know him well enough to know that he’s not acting himself. The treaty and trade negotiations have been going terribly, despite the fact that it should all be rather simple considering they’ve all been such long-standing friends of Camelot; this can only be Lord Griffyth’s influence. And for what it’s worth, the rumours surrounding that man and his staff are despicable, so yes, I believe you.” 

Merlin was silent, softening as he realised Arthur was genuine and serious. He watched as Arthur moved to sit at the table, clearly giving up on going to bed and, after a moment, picked up the pillow he had dropped and threw it on the bed before he moved to join Arthur. Sitting opposite him, Merlin was still unsure what to say; the situation was clearly troubling Arthur now that whatever suspicions he had had were confirmed and Merlin knew _exactly_ how he felt. He had no idea what to do from here, not only did they not have a clear picture of what exactly Lord Griffyth was up to but now that Arthur was on board, Merlin had no idea how he was going to fix any of it. Working from the shadows and in secret was out of the question, there was no way Arthur would sit back and not do anything to help himself and being so close to the situation, it was extremely unlikely that he wouldn’t notice Merlin’s magic. 

Thinking about what Gaius would say, Merlin quickly decided to shelve the anxiety at the thought that Arthur may likely discover his magic for later; he had no idea if this would be the case, after all. From there, it would be a quick case of working out what they were up to and formulating a plan. He glanced up at Arthur. 

“Do you have any idea what he could be up to?” He asked. 

“Lord Griffyth is third in line to the Celidoine throne. Perhaps he thinks starting a war with Camelot is his best chance of achieving that - I’m not sure.” Arthur shrugged, frowning as he thought it over, “But King Aleyn is a strong leader that knows his own mind, so I can’t think why he would be going along with Lord Griffyth’s every suggestion the way he has been.” 

Merlin nodded in agreement, it didn’t quite make sense but then, he supposed they likely didn’t have all the pieces yet. And he had a sneaking suspicion that magic was being used somehow but he had no proof and no idea what kind of magic and so he kept it to himself. “Perhaps we should speak to Gaius tomorrow.” He suggested instead, “He might know more?” 

Arthur, in a rare moment of agreeableness, nodded and downed the last of the wine as he stood, “You’re right. There’s nothing else we can do tonight.” He sighed as he made his way over to the bed. 

Neither of them said anything else except for a quick goodnight when Merlin finally left, both ruminating over the evening’s events. On his way out, Merlin briefly considered sneaking in to the Lord Griffyth’s rooms just in case he could find some evidence of what he was planning but he knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it if either Gaius or Arthur found out; he was already likely to be on the receiving end of a long lecture once he arrived back and caught Gaius up on what had just happened. 

X x X 

“Perhaps we should try to find some evidence ourselves before we tell Gaius.” Merlin suggested the next morning as he served Arthur his breakfast, picturing the look Gaius would give him. Arthur, seemingly understanding that Merlin was trying to prolong a lecture from his mentor, just raised a rather judgemental eyebrow at him. “He didn’t believe me when I first told him and at least then we’ll have a better idea of what Griffyth is up to!” Merlin rushed to defend himself. 

“Fine. But how do you propose we do that, _Mer_ lin?” 

X x X 

Which is how, instead of attending training like they were supposed to, Arthur and Merlin found themselves sneaking into Lord Griffyth’s guest chambers just before noon. 

Arthur was not impressed. 

He watched as his manservant nimbly searched through cupboards, drawers and under the bed with ease and apparently, no regard for getting caught sneaking through a nobles’ possessions in the slightest. For a moment, he wondered how many times Merlin had done something similar in the past. It was strange, from the moment he’d met Merlin he’d known there was more to him than met the eye, but had never been able to put his finger on exactly what it was - after a while of having Merlin as his manservant, he’d started to believe he had been wrong: that Merlin was _just_ Merlin, clumsy, almost certainly an idiot and an open book. He’d thought his manservant was one of the least subtle people he knew but, as he watched Merlin efficiently search Lord Griffyth’s things, he realised that perhaps that wasn’t true, that he’d had it right the first time and that there was more to Merlin than the idiotic facade. 

That wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on, though; he didn’t want to believe that Merlin could be lying to him or hiding things from him and so he shut down any sneaking suspicions that arose in his mind and glanced into the hallway instead, focusing on his role as ‘lookout’. 

There was no one there and a soft gasp from inside the room drew his attention sharply back to his manservant. 

“What is it?” He asked, leaving his post at the door and quickly crossing the room to where Merlin stood, a small and worn box open before him on the bed. As he drew closer, Arthur realised what it was that Merlin had found. Inside the box lay a bunch of materials that, while were not immediately recognisable as magic, painted a troubling picture when taken together. Nestled amongst small candles, some sketches of the royal family, and a collection of small items that likely belonged to them, lay three corn husk dolls and a small book of spells. 

“We should get this to Gaius, see if he knows what to make of all this.” Merlin suggested, looking up from the box at Arthur, his anxiety over the find written all over his face. 

“No,” Arthur shook his head, “Lord Griffyth will notice if it’s missing and will just say that it isn’t his. Leave it here, for now.” 

Arthur could tell that Merlin was reluctant to follow his advice and he hesitated a moment, before seeing the logic in Arthur’s suggestion and doing as he was told. He nodded grimly and shut the box again, sliding back under the bed, presumably where he had found it and followed Arthur out of the room. 

X x X 

Telling Gaius went about as well as Merlin thought it would and a raised eyebrow is all he needed to know that he’d be on the receiving end of a stern lecture once Arthur was out of earshot. He listened though as the two of them did their best to explain what they had found in the box in Lord Griffyth’s chambers. 

They watched as he thought it over, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. 

“What you describe does sound familiar but…” He paused and trailed off, shaking his head as whatever it was he was thinking. 

“But what, Gaius?” Merlin asked, leaning forward in anticipation of his answer. He wanted to tell Gaius all about the horrid feel of the magic surrounding the box and it’s contents, how the feeling was so strong that he’d known immediately where to find it but had put on a show of looking in front of Arthur. But Arthur was there, and he couldn’t. And Arthur was hanging on Gaius’ every word just as much as Merlin was, it was highly unlikely Arthur would leave now. 

“But the ritual that fits what you’ve described was banned even before the Purge.” Gaius finished, taking a deep breath to explain. “It’s the worst kind of magic; a spell that can bind another person to the caster’s will. If done correctly, the spellcaster will have full control over whoever they’ve cast it on. Even 20 years ago, the Priestesses knew that a spell such as that could be used for all the wrong reasons and it was banned.” 

The three of them fell silent for a moment as the implications that Lord Griffyth may have cast such a spell sunk in. Eventually, it was Arthur who broke the stunned silence. 

“But why? If he wants to rule Celidoine himself, why not simply try to overthrow the King?” Arthur asked. 

“Why indeed.” Gaius agreed sagely, “The spell requires an extraordinary amount of power to cast on just one person, let alone an entire family. And to keep it up for this long…it would be agonising to maintain. I can only imagine that Lord Griffyth’s greed and lust for power has overwhelmed him; why take control of just Celidoine when he could take over Camelot as well.” 

It made sense, Merlin thought. The feverish and almost wraith like countenance Lord Griffyth had while still managing to be silently intimidating; the spell must be taking its toll on him. He hated to think it but, perhaps the man would be his own undoing, after all if the spell really was killing him slowly maybe it would do so sooner rather than later. No, he shook that thought off as soon as he’d thought it; they couldn’t risk him actually having the time and power to make his move. 

“How can we stop him?” He asked. Not at all liking the grim look Gaius gave him, dread settling in his stomach as he guessed what Gaius’ answer would be. 

“I’m afraid that I don’t know.” His guess had been right. “The Priestesses of old did all they could to stop people being able to practice this spell, nothing was written down about it.” 

As Merlin made eye contact with his mentor, a wordless exchange passed between the two; there was only one being old enough to give them the answers. The Dragon. Merlin sighed, glancing at Arthur, he would have to find a way to get the answers he needed from the Dragon without Arthur noticing, or asking too many questions about where the sudden solution had come from, great. 

“You said that the magic will have weakened him, could I not challenge him?” Arthur suggested; thinking, as usual, with his sword first. 

“While it is possible, I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea.” Gaius shook his head, “King Aleyn has no idea of his cousin’s actions, once the spell breaks and he discovers his cousin is dead...well that may just start the war we are trying to avoid.” He explained sagely. 

“Besides,” Merlin muttered, “We don’t know exactly how powerful Lord Griffyth is, he might just have it in him to use his magic on you in the duel.” He nudged Arthur gently with his shoulder.

Arthur, having no idea about the dragon, gave a sigh of defeat and leant back. He looked around the room and, to his credit, hesitated a moment before he asked; “Is there nothing at all in any of these books that can help us Gaius?” 

Merlin and Gaius glanced at each other, a wordless exchange as a potential plan for hiding the real source of their answers formed in their minds: Gaius gave a small deferential nod in Arthur’s direction. “I can certainly have a look; it is possible I suppose.” 

“What can we do in the meantime?” Merlin asked, knowing that it was unlikely that Arthur would offer to help them look through the countless tomes that littered the physicians space but wanting an excuse to refuse him if he did. 

A knock interrupted any sort of answer Gaius had been about to give before it could even begin; a blessing in disguise as a page poked his head through the door to relay a message from the King, requesting Arthur’s presence. 

“He’s likely noticed I skipped training this morning.” Arthur grumbled, mostly to himself, as he stood; Merlin couldn’t tell whether it was because he was reluctant to face his father or because he’d wanted to stay and help - though, on second thoughts, he decided it was most surely the former. He dreaded to think what sort of mood Uther would be in after hearing Arthur had skipped out on training the Knights without telling anyone. 

“I’ll stay and help Gaius look through the books.” Merlin offered. “Maybe we’ll be able to find something before you get back.” Though the look Arthur gave him made it clear just how unlikely he thought that was, he nodded as he left. 

Gaius turned to Merlin once they were both sure Arthur was gone; surprisingly lacking any of the sternness or disapproval Merlin had been sure he would be on the receiving end of once Arthur was gone. “It seems I owe you an apology, Merlin, you were right.” 

“Ha! First, Arthur admits I’m right, now you.” Merlin chuckled as he relaxed back in his chair and grinned over at his guardian, “I could get used to this.” 

“Don’t be so sure about that, my boy, I’m certain this is a one off.” Gaius rolled his eyes fondly and shook his head. They fell silent for a moment until the laughter brought on by their banter faded away and the mood turned serious once more. “You’d better hurry down to the dragon before Arthur gets back.” He sighed, picking up one of their ‘go-to’ research books to flip through just in case. Merlin reluctantly stood, knowing all too well that whatever answer the dragon gave him was likely to be just as vague and cryptic and usual: but still, he knew time was short so he didn’t let himself dawdle for too long as he left. 

X x X 

Sneaking down into the Dragon’s cave had become such a part of Merlin’s routine since moving to Camelot that Merlin was sure he could do it in his sleep and so, despite the guards posted there, it wasn’t long before he was stood, shivering, on the ledge of the cave. 

“Hello?” He called out, although he suspected that most of the time Kilgharrah probably already knew he was there. 

“Young Warlock,” The dragon in question sighed as he flew down to perch himself on the rock. Merlin watched as Kilgharrah shuffled around on his feet a bit, presumably in an attempt to get somewhat comfortable. He waited until he had the dragon’s full attention. “You require my help again, I presume?” 

Merlin, to his credit, simply rolled his eyes at the Dragon’s flippant attitude; things had been strained between them since the Questing Beast incident and Merlin had decided to do his best not to let it get to him. 

“Yes, look-” He paused to think of the best and most concise way he could explain the situation, ignoring Kilgharrah’s impatient look. “Say someone had cast a spell; a spell that gave them complete control over another, on three other people - how would one go about breaking that spell?” 

Kilgharrah’s bored and somewhat exasperated attitude had dissipated as Merlin spoke; the dragon almost sat up straighter, leaning closer. His eyes narrowed slightly, “That’s a dangerous, powerful spell young warlock…” 

“I know. Lord Griffyth of Celidoine has cast it on his cousin, the King and his family. We think he might be trying to disrupt the peace talks and start a war: I need to know how I can stop him.” Merlin explained, hoping that the seriousness of the situation would at least stop the dragon from giving the most cryptic answers he possibly could. 

“The spell itself requires immense power; to break it will require the same.” Kilgharrah started, “You must break the enchantment on the items belonging to those enchanted, but it will not be easy and will take some time. I can give you the spell.” 

Merlin nodded as he stepped forward and, just as he had with the Cornelius Sigan incident, allowed the Dragon to give him the spell he needed. It was a strange feeling, one he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to, though he hoped he would never need to get used to it. It took a moment before he felt he could speak again and as he opened his eyes, he gave Kilgharrah a small but grateful smile. “Thank you.” He murmured, turning to leave.

“Merlin.” 

He stopped just in front of the door leading back out and turned back to the dragon. 

“You must be careful. The caster of this spell will feel what you are doing the moment you start to break it.” Kilgharrah warned. Merlin knew that Kilgharrah was trying to imply he would not be able to do this alone, that he would need Arthur’s help but it was out of the question; that would require revealing his magic and...he just wasn’t ready. Still, he nodded, thanking the dragon one last time before hurrying back to Gaius’ rooms. 

X x X

Arthur made his way back to Gaius’ rooms, exhausted and exasperated at the lecture he had just received from his father; one that felt never-ending and, knowing what he did about Lord Griffyth, was completely pointless. Several times, Arthur had been forced to bite his tongue, lest he accidentally let it slip to his father what was going on and while it felt like some sort of horrible betrayal, keeping it to himself, rationally Arthur knew that telling his father would do little good and was likely to make the situation worse. He hated to admit it about his own father but lately he had been noticing that Uther’s reaction to magic was far from rational and lacked any of the rational thought and nuance, that Arthur was just beginning to realise for himself, was needed in a situation such as this. His father’s solution was always violence first, thought later. Even to admit it to himself, to criticise or question his father’s actions and motives, felt like disloyalty; like proof that he was the terrible disappointment he’d always felt like. But, as his father’s actions grew even more extreme, it became even more difficult to push these thoughts aside but the crushing guilt and feeling like he was doing something wrong never went away; Arthur wondered often how Morgana could do it, how she could go toe to toe with Uther and argue as she did, how she could tell him to his face he was wrong with no hesitation, or how she could blatantly disobey the King. Even now as he slowly climbed the steps to the physician’s quarters, knowing that he was going behind his father’s back to prevent a war and save not only Camelot but Celidoine as well, Arthur was torn, questioning whether or not it was the right thing to do. 

So lost in his thoughts was he, Arthur almost walked into the door to Gaius’ rooms, knocking it open slightly; he glanced behind him to the empty hallway, hoping to god no one (especially Merlin) had seen that, he knew he’d never live it down. But, there was no one there and upon further observation of his surroundings, Arthur realised he could hear Merlin’s voice from inside the room. Merlin’s and Gaius’. 

“I don’t know if I can do it, Gaius.” Merlin was saying, sounding unusually grim. Arthur couldn’t remember the last time he had heard Merlin so serious, if ever, it always seemed like whatever dark situations they found themselves in Merlin always had some sort of quip or humorous remark to make. It caught his attention immediately as he stood, frozen at the door. 

“You must, Merlin, it’s the only way to stop him.” Gaius replied, sounding just as solemn, though this was hardly unusual for the old physician.

“But I don’t think I can!” Merlin argued. Arthur watched as he jumped up from his seat and began to pace in front of Gaius; on some level, he knew, deep down, he already knew what they were talking about. Listening in to this conversation, a conversation they clearly never meant for him to hear gave Arthur the same, horrible, sinking feeling he had watching Merlin so easily search through Lord Griffyth’s chambers. He wanted nothing more than to wrench himself away from the door, to walk back down the corridor and pretend he had never seen or heard any of this, but he couldn’t. There was no going back now. “This spell...it’s...powerful magic, Gaius, and-” 

“And you’re much more powerful than you realise, Merlin!” Gaius interrupted, shaking his head as he watched his charge berate himself. “You must believe in yourself.” 

This was it then. The end to his willful ignorance, there was no ignoring it now. Merlin had magic. Merlin was a sorcerer. Merlin had lied to him. 

Arthur clenched his fists at his sides, letting out a slow, deliberate sigh in an attempt to keep his temper in check, to hold back his slowly bubbling anger. His breath echoed in the tiny space, startling them both. Arthur only had eyes for his manservant though and the horrified look on Merlin’s face as his eyes met Arthur’s. He took a step back, his instinct to run even though he had nowhere to run to; Arthur stood in the doorway, still and foreboding as his anger radiated out. He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. 

“Arthur…” Merlin murmured, voice hoarse with nerves, “Let me explain…”

“Stop.” Arthur glared at him, brimming with barely restrained anger, the warning clear. Now was not the time to push him. “I will hear no more lies from _you_.” 

That alone was enough to send Merlin reeling, the hatred and anger in Arthur’s voice was something he had never wanted directed his way; it was over, their budding friendship definitely and possibly his life, at the very least his time in Camelot. His eyes filled with tears as he quickly looked down at the floor, both in shame at having been found out and trying to hide them and sat down, hands shaking, trying hard to control his breathing as the panic over what was about to happen set in. He waited for Arthur’s reaction. 

“What is this spell to stop Lord Griffyth?” Arthur asked instead, controlled despite the tension and the anger that filled the room. Merlin glanced up at him in shock. “My priority right now is saving Camelot; I will deal with your deception later. Now, tell me, what is this spell that will stop Lord Griffyth?” 

Merlin glanced at Gaius for an answer, seeing his mentor’s own hesitation mirrored back at him. He hoped Arthur would go easy on Gaius and made a mental note to do his best to make sure Gaius did not face any trouble for harbouring him. Gaius, to his credit, quickly seemed to shake off his hesitation and looked back to Arthur to explain. 

“To stop Lord Griffyth a spell must be performed that will break the enchantment on the objects belonging to the enchanted.” Gaius explained, “It requires extremely powerful magic to break the enchantment completely and unfortunately, Lord Griffyth will be able to feel it as soon as we begin.” 

The room was silent for a moment, on tenterhooks as they waited for Arthur to make a decision. 

“And this is the only way?” Arthur asked, despite already knowing that it was whether he liked it or not. They nodded solemnly. “Then there’s what we’ll do: there’s a council meeting tomorrow, no doubt Lord Griffyth will be in attendance, it’ll have to be then - he won’t be able to leave without calling attention to himself.” 

Arthur took charge of the situation effortlessly; if Merlin were not still fearful for not only his life but Gaius’ too, or utterly distraught over the ruination of his friendship with Arthur, he’d be proud. “There’s a clearing that should be far enough away from the castle; Merlin and I will go there to complete the spell.” Arthur continued, giving no room for argument, not that they needed to, the plan was pretty solid. The tension in the room was palpable though and both knew that Arthur’s control over his anger was a very fragile thing; it needed to be discussed, they needed to talk about what had happened but it was also very clear that Arthur did not want to talk about it, and pushing him right then would do far more harm than good. 

They sat, awkwardly for a moment until it became unbearable for Merlin; he hated to leave Gaius to deal with Arthur by himself but he absolutely needed to get out of there. 

“I’ll um-” He started, moving to stand up, frozen halfway there by the intensity of Arthur’s glare as he drew the Prince’s attention. He swallowed the lump in his throat nervously, glancing to Gaius instead, “I’ll um...go collect the ingredients for the spell then?” He asked, knowing at the very least he would need to go back to Lord Griffyth’s rooms for the box they had found earlier. 

He didn’t even wait for his mentor’s nod before he was hurrying from the room, avoiding looking at Arthur, not wanting to face the distrust in his eyes. 

Arthur watched Merlin go, tempted to go with him, not quite trusting him to be let out of his sight. Instead, he took a seat at the rickety table opposite Gaius; Gaius, the man he’d known and trusted since birth, who’d always been there, not just to treat his wounds or illnesses but also as a friend of his fathers, there to give advice when he needed it and someone he knew he could always turn to when his father was in a mood even if most of the time he didn’t. He couldn’t believe that Gaius would lie to him, to betray his father like that and harbour a sorcerer under their very noses. 

He clenched his fists again, fighting hard to tamp down the anger rising in him again. He glared down at the tabletop, glancing up at Gaius every now and then. To his credit, Gaius did not seem all that fazed, seeming content to let Arthur stew in his anger for the time being, he seemed the same sturdy font of wisdom he always did; years of dealing with his fathers temper did that to a man he supposed. They were quiet, until Gaius finally spoke up. 

“Arthur…” 

He glanced up at him as soon as he spoke though once he had Arthur’s full attention, Gaius faltered, pausing a moment before he continued; “I know you’re angry with Merlin. And myself. But you must understand, he never meant to lie to you. I know he’s wanted to tell you many times...but it was, is, his life on the line.” 

Arthur scoffed, “If he knew the law, then why break it?”

“He had no choice, Arthur. He was born with magic.” Gaius explained with a small shake of his head. It took a moment longer than Arthur would have liked to process that information; he hadn’t thought it possible. His father had always told him that people learnt magic, that even if they did not intend to learn magic for ill, it would eventually corrupt them. He had no idea it was possible for someone to be born with magic, to have no choice at all. Snapped out of his thoughts, Arthur realised Gaius had continued, “And though your father had his reasons for banning magic, he is also wrong - not everyone who practices magic is evil. Magic itself is not evil but nor is it good; it is how it is used that is good or evil.” 

“You speak of treason.” The response was automatic and out of his lips before Arthur could even think about it, though much of the anger and feeling behind the statement had drained out of him. It seemed today was a day for many realizations, a day for facing hard truths and this was one he had been putting off for a long time. In his gut he knew that Gaius was right, he had seen enough to know that magic was not as simple as his father would have him believe; had seen enough of his fathers reactions to all things magic to know that he was not an objective party, that many of his beliefs were clouded by his hate of magic and that it was very possible that he was wrong. 

“You’ve known me your whole life, Arthur, you trust me?” 

It seemed strange but Arthur was glad Gaius had phrased it as a question. Hours ago it would not have been a question at all, of course he did, but Gaius knew him well enough to know by now that even if he was having doubts about his father’s teachings, having such a big secret kept from him by someone he had come to consider as one of his best friends had shaken up his trust somewhat and that it would take time to get that back. 

“I used to.” He said simply. 

“I suppose I deserve that.” Gaius said, “There’s a lot that’s been kept from you, Arthur, that I’ve kept from you. A lot of which is not mine to reveal to you, Merlin’s secret being just one of them. But all I ask is that you trust me when I say that Merlin is not evil, not in the slightest. He is still your friend and he will explain everything when he’s ready.” 

That was fair, Arthur supposed, the more he thought about it and the longer he took to work through his initial anger and shock at the betrayal the more he understood why Merlin had kept it from him; would he have done the same in Merlin’s shoes? Hell, Arthur wasn’t entirely sure he would have stayed in Camelot in Merlin’s shoes: the pieces were slowly starting to come together as he sat in the peaceful quiet of Gaius’ workroom and mulled over the advice Gaius had given him, just how much had Merlin done for Camelot from the shadows since he arrived? That would be one of many things Merlin would have to explain to him later, he supposed but for now, his mind kept latching on to one particular part of Gaius’ speech. 

He glanced up, watching as Gaius got up to put away the books. “You know why my father hates magic so much, don’t you?” He asked. Gaius froze before slowly putting away the books in his hand and nodding. “But you won’t tell me?” 

“I swore a solemn oath, my boy. That is for your father to tell you.” 

Arthur knew his father would never tell him. It was likely Gaius knew that too and really, that should have stirred his anger yet again, here he was still keeping secrets from him but it didn’t. Arthur could understand staying loyal to a promise, even if Gaius was simply keeping it for fear of his father’s reaction if he didn’t. Whatever the reason behind his fathers hatred for magic, it didn’t change the fact that Arthur was starting to realise that his father was wrong; it didn’t change things between himself and Merlin. Speaking of;

“You said this spell will need to be powerful to break the enchantment completely,” Arthur began to ask, “will Merlin...will Merlin be able to do it?” 

Then, Gaius chuckled, his first smile since Arthur had walked into the room. “Merlin may not think so but I have every faith that he can.” He paused a moment, suddenly turning serious once again.

“Merlin is more powerful than even he understands or knows; there are some that say he is destined to be the most powerful warlock of all time…” He stopped at the awed look on Arthur’s face, giving another amused smile. “Well….I’m sure Merlin will have a rant or two about destiny when he explains it all to you.” 

X x X

The next day they made their way to the clearing. The ride was short but awkward and filled with tension, both ruminating over their own issues and the events of the previous day. Arthur was well aware that he needed to clear the air with Merlin, sooner rather than later and really had meant to do so the night before. But, between meetings and dinner with his father and readying for their plans against Griffyth, Arthur hadn’t actually seen Merlin again that night. He hadn’t been at all surprised to see another servant in Merlin’s place when it came to getting him ready for bed that night. Seeing just how skittish and nervous Merlin had been that morning, however, Arthur knew it could not be put off any longer and promised himself that after the spell was done, they would talk. 

For such a powerful spell, it didn’t take early as long as Arthur had thought it would to prepare. After ensuring the coast was clear and that no one was around to see Merlin performing magic and after doing his best not to watch as Merlin scried so they could be absolutely sure that Griffyth was indeed attending the council session, they were ready. 

A nod from Merlin and Arthur stepped back, allowing Merlin enough time to cast himself a circle. Truth be told, Arthur was caught between his lifelong fear of magic and utter fascination of seeing _Merlin_ use magic that he really didn’t pay much attention to the details of what Merlin was doing. Merlin and Gaius both had tried to explain the basic steps of the spell to him that morning; Merlin would need to cast a circle, would need to follow the steps of the original spell as best he could and recite something in order to break the spell. It really had all gone over Arthur’s head and, still being wary of being involved with anything magical, he had to admit he hadn’t really been paying much attention to their explanation either. 

But seeing it now, watching as Merlin sat in the middle of the circle, reciting the chants in the language of magic - he’d never thought of Merlin as someone with power. He’d mostly thought Merlin was far too clumsy for his own good but he could feel it now, despite not being magic himself he could feel the crackle of power in the air as Merlin began his spell, could see it in the burning gold in his eyes. It was awe-inspiring. He could easily see why magic, especially magic this powerful could instill such fear. 

Arthur could not allow himself to get too distracted by this though; their plan to hold Lord Griffyth back with a council meeting was not a solid one and so he needed to stay on guard. Still, it was difficult, more difficult than he imagined it would be, to tear his eyes away from Merlin. 

He could feel it behind him though, even as he turned to keep guard on the path leading to their little clearing, could still hear Merlin’s voice from behind him. Usually so cheerful, sassy and, he was now realising, intentionally stupid, Merlin even _sounded_ powerful; his voice now deep and raspy, sending shivers down Arthur’s spine with every chant. 

_“ðêos tô hwý ,hwon dômweorðan. Sê w¯æren.”_

Merlin kept chanting from behind him, over and over, each getting louder until Arthur could no longer keep looking away. He glanced back at Merlin behind him, eyes widening as he saw the leaves swirling around in almost a mini-tornado as Merlin sat dead center, his eyes burning a molten gold, head thrown back, radiating pure power like nothing Arthur had felt before, each object taken from the box glowing almost the same colour as his eyes. 

When all at once the wind stopped, the objects smashed and Merlin slumped to the ground, Arthur was frozen in shock. It took just a moment for him to recover before he was rushing over to Merlin’s side, circle be damned.

“Merlin!” He cried, kneeling beside his friend and shaking him in a panicked attempt to wake him up. For a few breathless seconds, nothing happened. 

“I knew you worried about me really.” Merlin murmured, a weak but self-satisfied smile appearing on his face before he’d even had a chance to blink his eyes open. 

“You idiot!” Arthur rolled his eyes, leaning back on his knees to give Merlin room to sit up. It was a relief, though he would never say it, to have Merlin awake and back to his old self. A relief too, that all the awkwardness and tension that had surrounded them all morning seemed to melt away. As Merlin lay there recovering and Arthur knelt there waiting, they shared a look, an easy smile much like they usually did and all at once they knew that they would be okay. Of course, there would still need to be a conversation and explanations to be had but right then, they were Merlin and Arthur and their relationship seemed just as powerful as Merlin’s magic. 

Arthur gave Merlin a few moments to come back to himself before he stood, holding a hand out to help him up. He watched as Merlin dusted himself off and gave the smashed objects a curious poke with his foot. 

“Did it work?” He asked, glancing over at Merlin to see him looking down at them just as curiously. He noted the sheepish look Merlin tried to hide as well, internally rolling his eyes. “You don’t know, do you?” Honestly, trust Merlin to be the most powerful warlock in existence with no idea what he was doing. 

“In my defence, I’ve never had to perform that spell before!” Merlin argued, straightening his back, hands on his hips. The sight was so familiar, though usually accompanied by ignored chores, that Arthur almost laughed. Instead, he shook his head and rolled his eyes, making his way over to the horses tethered to a tree not far off. 

“Come on then, _Mer_ lin. We’d better go see just how good a magician you are.” He smiled at the sputtering from behind him. 

“Magician?! It’s not a jester’s trick!” Merlin insisted as he hurried to catch up with him, almost tripping as he did. Just as easy to wind up as ever. “It’s warlock. War. Lock.” 

Arthur couldn’t help but laugh as he mounted his horse, despite knowing more awaited them when they arrived back in Camelot, it felt good knowing that he and Merlin were taking some steps to repair their friendship. 

X x X 

When they arrived back in Camelot, after a quick detour to catch some rabbits in order to keep up the pretense of a hunting trip in case anyone asked, they noticed Gaius waiting for them on the steps of the castle, a small smile on his face.

Quickly dismounting and allowing their horses to be taken by the stableboys and Arthur’s catches to be taken by a servant to the kitchens, they both hurried up to Gaius, eager to hear the news but trying not to seem suspicious. They didn’t even need to ask, Gaius was quick to tell them the good news, in hushed tones. 

“It seems we were right about the magic weakening Lord Griffyth.” Gaius told them, “He must have felt when you began the spell, I assume he tried to counter it and didn’t have the strength; he suffered a fatal heart attack in council today. I must go. King Aleyn wants me to confirm his cause of death but I thought you’d like to know, it worked.” Gaius said, giving Merlin one last proud look before he too schooled his expression once more and left them standing alone at the top of the stairs. 

It was inappropriate to seem pleased about that in such a public space, especially since they were the only ones that knew what Lord Griffyth had really been up to. It was difficult, but they managed to school their expressions, thanking Gaius for letting them know. Arthur wondered fleetingly how often Merlin had experienced the same thing, of being the only one to know what ulterior motives a guest of Camelot really had; then again, thinking back to all the times Merlin had tried to warn him, perhaps he didn’t need to wonder much at all. 

He glanced at Merlin then, who immediately looked down at his feet, shuffling nervously in front of him again. 

“I should uh-” Merlin started, glancing in the direction Gaius had just gone. Arthur knew for a fact Merlin hated it when Gaius was examining a dead body, in the past he’d almost always sought to spend his time in Arthur’s chambers to avoid it and it hurt to think that Merlin was avoiding him now. But, he supposed, he could hardly blame him. 

“Wait.” He said, gently resting a hand on Merlin’s elbow to stop him when Merlin made to leave rather than finish his flimsy excuse. “We need to talk. I’m not- I’m not going to turn you in if that’s what you’re worried about. But...I just want to understand, Merlin. We need to talk.” 

Merlin glanced up at him, a hopeful look in his eyes. It was going to be a difficult conversation, he knew that but he knew it was important. He wasn’t going to be able to change Arthur’s views on magic overnight, today had already been a lot for Arthur to deal with but the fact that Arthur was even giving him a chance to explain, a chance to change his mind on magic, well he couldn’t pass that up. He smiled hopefully at Arthur, following him up to his chambers.


End file.
